A Trip to the Holy Land and Following in Jesus’ Footsteps

My wife and I recently returned from a tour of the Holy Land of Israel with a small group of friends. Words simply can’t express what a transformative experience this was for us; it brought the entire Bible to life for me. Though we visited many incredible sights, there are a few in particular that stand out. 

For one, we visited the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the Palestinian West Bank, which marks the traditional location of Jesus’ birthplace and is the oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity, and is the oldest major church in the Holy Land. The church was originally commissioned by Constantine the Great a short time after his mother Helena's visit to Jerusalem and Bethlehem in 325-326AD.

We also visited Nazareth, the small village where Jesus grew up in the center of Galilee in Northern Israel. The area around the Church of the Annunciation has been extensively excavated, showing the remains of the first-century village which made me feel like I was stepping into the Bible to experience Nazareth as it was during the time of Jesus and Mary. While in Galilee, we saw Mount Tabor (site of Jesus’ Transfiguration-Matthew 17); Mount of the Beatitudes (Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount-Matthew 5-7); the remains of what is possibly the house where Jesus healed the Apostle Peter’s mother-in-law in Capernaum (birthplace of Peter and center of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee-Matthew 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-31); as well as Tabgha (Ein Sheva-where Jesus fed the multitude of 5000 with five loaves of bread and two fish (Mathew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; John 6:1-15) and where Jesus appeared to the Apostles after His resurrection (John 21:1-17).

We also went on a boat on the Sea of Galilee, which gave us the amazing opportunity to walk along and see with our own eyes the shores from which Jesus called the first of His disciples to become “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:13–22; Mark 1:16-20) and where Jesus and Peter walked on water (Matthew 14:22-33). 

One thing that was a very moving experience for members of our group was that I rebaptized them (my wife rebaptized me) in an area of the Jordan River (Yardenit) that is thought to be the place or very near to the place that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. While the concept of rebaptism does not exist in the Bible, we felt honored to have the opportunity to once again declare our faith in Jesus Christ publicly in the Jordan River, most likely very near to the place that John the Baptist baptized Jesus, where the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and God the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17).  It was electrifying!

We then spent several days touring Jerusalem and saw the site of King David’s Tomb and the area one floor above that is thought to be where the room of the Last Supper was located. It was very moving to walk through the Mount of Olives knowing Jesus had walked there. The area is now marked by several churches, including Pater Noster Church (where, according to tradition, Jesus taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer,) and the tear-shaped church of Dominus Flevit ("the Lord wept") where Jesus most likely wept over the future destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 19:37-44). It was amazing to stand right next to the Temple Mount (Mount Moriah,) where Abraham’s faith was tested as God asked him to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:1-19),  where the first temple was built by King Solomon in about 950 BC (2 Chronicles 3:1) and where Jesus visited.

Additionally, we were able to walk through the Garden of Gethsemane (Gat Shemanim), possibly very near where Jesus walked, located at the base of the Mount of Olives just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. Gethsemane literally means “oil press,” and there are many ancient olive trees still standing today. Jesus frequently went to Gethsemane with His disciples to pray (John 18:1-2), and it’s the location where Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested on the night before His crucifixion (Matthew 26:36-56, Mark 14:32-52, Luke 22:40-53 and John 18:1-11).

All our hearts were touched as we attempted to retrace the steps of Jesus where He carried His cross along the Via Dolorosa on the way to being crucified at Golgotha Hill, which is now marked by the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (means burial vault). I did not expect to see a huge crack in the rock in or near the location where it is thought that Jesus died on the cross, where the Bible tells of the earthquake that shook the earth and split the rock at the time of His death (Matthew 27:50-51). Seeing that split in the rock made my jaw drop and sent chills up and down my spine! My heart was filled with emotion at the Chapel of the Ascension, where, according to tradition, Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after His resurrection (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:19; Luke 24:50-51).

While things have changed considerably in the places we visited from the way they existed in biblical times, and it is difficult to precisely pinpoint exact locations of the events in the Bible, our hearts were touched with emotion difficult to describe knowing that we were, at minimum, in very close proximity to where these events took place historically and where Jesus actually walked. The experience truly brought the Bible to life for me and a new dimension and vivid color to my understanding of what God has revealed and continues to reveal to me in the Bible. My wife commented that she didn’t see how anyone who saw what we felt as a result could ever not believe what is written in the Bible to be Truth. I encourage you, if you have not already done so, to make plans to visit Israel and the Holy Land in the future. You will never be the same as your understanding of Scripture will come to life and transform you!